Chereads / Unshaken Bond / Chapter 10 - Chapter 10

Chapter 10 - Chapter 10

Web of Deception

The morning air transformed into crisp, bringing the mild heavy aroma of pine from the woods beyond the campus. Carina sat on a stone bench outdoor the library, holding her coffee cup like a lifeline. Her sleep-deprived thoughts buzzed with parts of the nightmares, her grandmother's cryptic warnings, and Carla's unnerving suggestions. She felt like a puzzle with missing pieces, every reveal adding every other layer of bewilderment.

"Mind if I sit?" a musical voice burst through her thoughts.

Carina glanced up to see Alora's status there, her red hair striking the sunshine. She'd observed Alora around college earlier than however had never spoken to her. Alora's smile was lovely, her posture easy, but there was an intensity in her gaze that made Carina pause.

"Sure," Carina replied, scooting over slightly. She wasn't in the mood for business enterprise, but politeness received out.

"You appear like you've been given the weight of the arena for your shoulders," Alora observed as she sat, her tone filled with difficulty. "Hard night?"

Carina moaned, her shields falling. "Something like that."

Alora cocked her head, her face attractive. From time to time you need you get stuff off your chest."

There has been something curiously comforting about her presence, and earlier than she knew it, Carina found herself sharing parts and pieces—the nightmares, her disquiet, the abnormal worry among Vito and Zed. She stored the material loosely, although Alora listened closely, nodding at the proper moments.

"Zed's an interesting one," Alora observed while Carina paused. "Brooding, mysterious… yet not entirely straightforward."

Carina frowned. "What do you imply?"

Alora's smile became weak, almost pitying. "permit simply say Zed has a recognition. He's top at keeping secrets, and not all of them are innocent. Be cautious, Carina. Not every person who claims to protect you has your fine pastimes at heart."

Her statements matched Vito's warning from the night time earlier, and unease twisted in Carina's stomach. "Do you already know him well?"

"I understand sufficient," Alora answered cryptically. She stretched out, giving Carina's arm a comforting squeeze. "just keep your eyes open, okay? From time to time the people closest to us are the ones we have to watch the most."

Carina nodded slowly, her thoughts spinning. Alora's remarks seeded a seed of doubt she couldn't shake, and as the day went on, it grew.

That dusk, Zed walked alongside the threshold of the woods, his mind spinning. He'd felt Alora's presence around Carina earlier, and it set every instinct he possessed on his side. Alora was risky—manipulative, crafty, and constant in her chase of what she desired. And right now, her goal was Carina.

Whilst he finally stuck Alora's aroma, it was close to the campus's eastern facet. She turned into resting calmly against a tree, her look smug as if she'd been awaiting him.

"Zed," she greeted, her tone soft. "To what do I owe the delight?"

He stopped some feet away, his stance frantic. "live away from Carina."

Alora's smile deepened, and she drove off the tree, sauntering nearer. "Oh, Zed, you're so defensive. It's almost lovable."

"I'm not playing video games, Alora," he yelled. "something you're making plans, prevent. Now."

Her eyes gleamed with happiness. "Why so serious? I'm simply being nice. Carina looks like she ought to use a person to talk to. You've been so… distant with her. I'm simply filling the void."

Zed's fists clenched. "I recognize you, Alora. You don't do anything without a plan. Leaving her on my own."

Alora's demeanor changed, her smile turning harsh. "Why does it hassle you so much, hmm? Is it because she's your mate? Or is it due to the fact you realize she'll discover the genuine regarding you sooner or later?"

His jaw tightened, but he didn't reply. Alora interpreted his silence as confirmation, her grin expanding.

"Oh, Zed," she remarked coldly. "you can't guard her for all time. Eventually, she'll see you for what you simply are. And when it happens, she'll run."

Zed took a step closer, his voice low and dangerous. "if you hurt her, if you so much as breathe the wrong way around her, I'll make certain you regret it."

Alora didn't draw back. If something, his threat regarded to entertain her. "noted," she said softly. "but you would possibly need to fear much less about me and extra approximately your competition. Vito's been pretty the flirt, hasn't he?"

With that, she turned and walked away, her laughter booming in the darkness. Zed watched her cross, his belly twisted with worry. He knew Alora wouldn't drive into reverse—if something, his prudence had likely increased her willpower.

Over the next few days, Alora's role in Carina's life becomes gotten emphasized. She'd without issues seem all through lunch or after magnificence, her words consistently loaded with veiled digs at Zed.

"I noticed Zed earlier," she stated casually one day as they strolled to the library. "He regarded… distracted. Perhaps he's hiding something."

Carina's brow wrinkled. "Why might he be hiding something?"

Alora shrugged, her smile weak. "Who knows? Zed's always been a piece of a fantasy. It's a part of his charm, I guess. But now and again riddles have dark secrets and techniques."

The seed of distrust Alora had placed earlier began to take root. Carina found herself revisiting moments with Zed, wondering about his motivations, and his mysterious conduct. The greater the concept approximately it, the more unsure she became.

One night, as Carina sat on the steps of her dorm, misplaced in thought, Zed approached. His face became guarded, but his presence offered a remarkable mix of solace and unease.

"hey," he observed softly, sitting alongside her.

"Howdy," she replied, her voice slightly above a whisper.

For a second, neither of them spoke. The quiet among them was thick, weighted with unspoken signals.

"Is the entirety k?" Zed asked eventually, his gaze gazing at hers.

Carina paused, her mind flashing to Alora's phrases. "Do you've got secrets, Zed?" she asked, her voice shaking.

He tensed, the question taking him off defense. "Why do you ask?"

She shrugged, trying to seem nonchalant. "humans talk. and you… you're suddenly not precisely an open ebook."

Zed's jaw tightened, and for a second, she thought he might walk away. However then he moaned, going for walks with a hand via his hair.

"There are things I'm able to tell you," he said. "no longer but."

Carina's arterial heart dropped. "Why not?"

"as it's not safe," he added, his voice strong. "The extra you know, the greater danger you're in."

Her frustration bubbled to the floor. "I'm already in threat, Zed! Do you observe I don't know that? The nightmares, the whispers—the whole thing is falling away, and that I don't even comprehend why!"

Zed's face softened, and he reached out, laying a hand on hers. "I'm seeking to shield you, Carina. Please believe me."

She wanted to agree with him, but the doubt Alora had sowed refused to be quiet. She jerked her fingers away, her chest tightening. "I don't know if I can."

Zed's face sank, but he didn't press her. Instead, he stood his moves slow and methodical. "In case you ever need me, I'll be right here," he stated quietly before going away.

As Carina watched him move, a hurricane of feelings raced inside her. She didn't see the determined hiding inside the shadows, staring at her with a pleased smirk.

Alora.